You’ve probably heard the term “native advertising” and wondered what the heck it is. When I first learned about it, I thought it had something to do with advertising to native people in their own countries.

A form of paid media where the ad experience follows the natural form and function of the user experience in which it is placed.

So when you see something like this…

it initially looks like a Buzzfeed article for beautiful places around the world.

But upon closer inspection, you’ll see that it’s really an ad for Pepsi Next. The piece seems like something that’s informative about scenic wonders (and it does have some really cool spots featured), but it’s really getting your curiosity piqued about this new soda. You’ll then click on the link, which takes you to the Pepsi Next Facebook page, where you’ll learn about how awesome this soft drink really is.

According to a study conducted by IPG Media Lab, consumers look at native ads 52% more frequently than banner ads. As a result of their integration with editorial, native ads registered a 9% higher lift in brand affinity and an 18% higher leap for purchase intent responses than traditional ads.

So how does this affect you as an adventure travel business? It’s just another tool in your marketing kit, and it especially fits well into the headlong direction for content marketing. Because of its “stealth” nature, a native ad fits almost seamlessly into your existing content. It’s not really something that is set aside as “sponsored content” or some similar label.

But scroll down the page, and you’ll find short blurbs on different tours of Antarctica. Click on these links, and you’ll see that they’re ads in disguise…going native, as it were.

You will hear some people claim that native advertising will not last, according to this very cogent argument on the Content Marketing Institute website. Others posit it’s the next major online marketing trend and can’t be ignored.

Arguments hold on both sides. Perhaps the first opinion is acknowledging audiences are way too sophisticated to click on irrelevant and obviously Photoshopped pictures with outrageous headlines.

You know which ads I mean…the ones with an overly muscled freak of nature which then promises you something about a 0.002% re-fi on your underwater mortgage!

But I’m in the second camp, especially as someone who makes her living creating content.

I think that if you have poor examples like the really idiotic video clip ad on the far right of the Comcast homepage (the one below titled “You will not believe her transformation!”), that’s what’s going the way of the dodo bird.

If there were more examples like the Linblad ad, then I’m willing to bet my family’s farm back in California that native advertising will be with us for a while.

This will probably one of the shortest posts I’ve written for this blog, and that’s because I’ll be going offline here for about a month. As part of a bigger plan to provide outstanding content, I’ll be posting only once a month until I get things off and running again. I’ll also be revamping my site to better serve this purpose. So my series on email marketing will have to wait until later.

However, I will still write my newsletter, and may even try for twice a month instead of once. If you want to subscribe to it, just click here.

Be seeing you soon!

I’m looking forward to seeing you on the other end of this, because I’m planning big and dreaming big. I’ll be making changes to my services, which will include site evaluations, as well as putting of an emphasis on article writing and quality web content. Stay tuned.

For more frequent updates, I’ll be posting more on Facebook and my Twitter feed, as well as on my LinkedIn-connected Manta page. I’ll be giving out tips and strategies in easy, bite-size blurbs, news you can use for the day. And of course, there’s always my travel/photography blog, Californian in Exile, over at my other site. Come join me over there, where I let loose a little more.

My hope is that you’ll have a rocking’ February and send your business soaring to heights you never thought possible before.

Today I’m posting something brief today, just to get the year started and not be too overwhelming for you or me.

During these last few weeks off, I’m still trying to figure out Google and with it, search engine optimization…always a barrel of laughs.

Just like all marketing and copywriting professionals who work mostly online, I’ve read plenty about all of the algorithm changes the 1,200-lb. gorilla of the internet search jungle. But just when I’m trying to get my head around the changes that Penguin, Panda and now Hummingbird have brought, they’ll probably shake things up again.

And all of this to just throw all of those keyword stuffers off balance? It’s kind of a silly way to get attention, IMHO.

Roughly a year ago, I started writing for a content “mill” (which shall remain anonymous, and for which I don’t write anymore). They gave me a list of keywords and phrases that I was “strongly encouraged” to use in my articles. I had to write four of these 400-word posts every day, which were for different types of business websites.

When I submitted the articles, the editor said I didn’t include enough of these keywords. Had I done that, the quality of the articles would have suffered tremendously.

From this less-than-ideal experience, I learned about the value of quality content and began my quest to learn what it’s all about.

So…here’s what I’ve tried to do this year. Rather than be a slave these writing sweatshops, I’ve made an effort to learn about content marketing and search optimization. And something I’ve learned about these Google algorithm changes is that they’re simply trying to weed out these content farms that try to game the system.

It’s something to keep in mind when you’re trying to optimize your site, and an issue you really don’t have to worry too much about if you’re already including great content that doesn’t repeat itself.

All you have to remember is this…write for your audiences, not the search engines. Create content in the way that people look for travel information. Most important – treat your audience with respect and intelligence, and they’ll reward you with more traffic, business and loyalty!

No, I don’t get an affiliate kickback from Copyblogger. But with the way I talk about them and reference them so often in my blog here, that would be a natural assumption. Maybe that’s something I should think about…hmmm.

Just for the record, I plan to share plenty of great content from some of my other favorite sites, too. For instance, in a couple of weeks I’ll be letting you in on another great resource site, Social Media Examiner, and few more.

As I wrote in last post, I wanted to delve a little into content marketing and how it can help your travel business. This excellent Copyblogger post from Sonia Simone details how telling a story creates memorable and shareable content – the major factors that can lead to higher Google search engine rankings. She lists the five components that every marketing story should have:

a hero

a goal

an obstacle

a mentor

a moral

So let’s take the example of an adventure travel business that wants to use a story to preface its marketing emails for its latest vacation packages – diving trips to the Big Island in Hawaii, from the fictitious Blue Turtle Adventures. It’s sent out to a list of prospects, particularly those who are beyond stressed and are in serious need of a break.

Who’s the hero?

Now don’t make this about how your company solves the problem of offering this awesome vacation. Focus instead on how your prospect’s current life situation demands a vacation like this. In other words, it’s about them, not you.

What’s the goal?

This one’s seemingly a no-brainer, but be careful. Sure, you want your prospect to click on your links, take a look around and book the trip (after selling his partner or spouse on the idea, of course). But you’ll also want them to associate your company with a great experience…and to be relieved of the stress they’re experiencing. So here you’ll want to paint a picture of how amazed he’ll be once he’s diving with the sea turtles and gliding around the coral beds. Important: don’t mention your company just yet.

What’s the obstacle?

Usually this point involves a prospect’s doubts and objections, and that could be any number of things – tight work deadlines, not enough vacation time, babysitting for the kids. That could also include the price of your vacation package, but that’s not something you’ll want to mention just yet in the story. Save it for later, when you can explain your offer in terms that can make it more attractive and affordable.

Who’s the mentor?

Well, that’s you, dear reader! You can be the answer to your stressed-out prospects problem and provide a great getaway. But don’t make your company sound like it’s going to take care of everything. As Simone writes, the aim of your business is to “guide, coach, mentor and help.” Present yourself as someone willing to offer assistance, not be the answer to all of their prayers.

What’s the moral?

The thing to remember here is to refrain from overstatement. Don’t say, “Because of this fabulous diving vacation, you’ll come back a better person who will bring world peace!” Just simply state, “You’re going to return from your Blue Turtle diving vacation refreshed and renewed, so you can get back to your work and ready to tackle anything.”

The last few weeks, I spent some time looking at different trends in web marketing and travel businesses . Now I’m going to look at one particular part of it, content marketing, over the next few weeks.

I’ve been intrigued with this idea since I first learned about it through the AWAI Fast Track to Copywriting Success last year, aka “Bootcamp.” I learned even more about it at their Web Intensive, and next week, I’ll be taking an online course through them with Copyblogger’s Brian Clark. I can’t to share what I’ll be learning from it here.

Until then, I’ll give you a little intro…

You’ve heard a lot about this term “content marketing“. And its implications are pretty cool. How would you like to have your website copy, social media posts and all other words associated with your online presence do your marketing work for you? How would you like to be perceived as an authority in the travel field? And more important, get more traffic to your site…and get more engagement?

It all starts with very strategic keyword research, based on those your target audience would use. Then you’ll want to see how competitve they are, This means that similar websites may already use these words and phrases to rank high in search engines like Google or Yahoo! You’ll also want to pay attention to their search volume figures, usually given in monthly rates.

There’s plenty of sites that can given you this valuable information, not just the most obvious one, Google Keyword Planner (which used to be Adwords then Keyword Tool). There are fantastic sites like Wordtracker, KeywordSpy and SEMRush that can give you even more valuable insight. A caveat – to get to the good stuff, you’ll have to shell out for a paid subscription on most of these sites, but it’s worth it.

Say you’re a hiking/kayaking travel company that specializes in vacations in the southwestern U.S. Here are some keywords and phrases you might want consider:

And this is by no means a complete list. But here you’ll want to think the way your potential customers think, and figure out the words they use in their searching. So it’s wise to know your audience well by coming up with your ideal customer profile, as developed by SEO expert Heather Lloyd-Martin.

Once you find words that have fairly low or medium competition and high search volume, note those. You can then use those in your web copy and social media content (taking care not to “stuff” or repeat those words). You’re now well on your way to creating rock-solid content!